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Web-only letters to the editor, Nov. 24, 2013

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Food subsidies

The recent Republican farm bill provides increased subsidies to farmers not to grow crops and
also cuts food stamps by 40 billion dollars over the next ten years. The money we spend on food
stamps ultimately goes to farmers as revenue when the food stamps are redeemed, thus whether
farmers are provided subsides for not producing crops or are paid via the redemption of foods
stamps they obtain the revenue. However, the food stamp path allows for poor people and children to
have adequate nourishment. It is difficult for me to understand why the Republicans would choose
subsidies rather than food stamps. The only explanation is that they are mean spirited and immoral.
I would hope the three Congressmen from Columbus do not buy in to this nonsense and do the right
thing and thus not deny poor defenseless children from eating. Ali Stevenson once said
'There are worse things than losing an election; the worst thing is to lose one's convictions and
not tell the people the truth'. I hope the Congressmen from Central Ohio do the right thing and
live up to their moral convictions and not starve children.

John Georgiton, Columbus

Gun ownership

191 shots fired. Does anyone wonder where and how he obtained the gun? Yes we
definitely need better and more accessible mental health care in Ohio and the editorial makes the
point loud and clear.

But when a mentally unstable man fires 191 shots, one has to ask where and how he got that
gun? 1 gun for every 3 people in this country. 30,000 gun deaths every year. Whenever I read a news
story about a shooting - which happens every day - my first question is where and how did he/she
get the gun? And why are we passing laws that make it easier for people to to obtain guns and not
passing laws such as universal background checks that would make it a little bit harder for
criminals and the mentally ill to buy them.

How shameful that greedy Boeing should seek to cut union employees' salaries, pensions and
benefits when it has increased the compensation of its top seven executives from $32 million in
2008 to $75 million in 2012.

To put things in perspective, Boeing pays its CEO $27.4 million while the CEO of its European
competitor, Airbus, is paid $3.5 million.

If salaries need cutting, let Boeing cut the fat from the top.

Bettye Best, Columbus

Road work

How many more road projects are going to be done before the 70/71 split is upgraded? It
was said it would cost too much money 15 years ago. How many projects and hundreds of
millions have been spent in that time period? All areas have been widened surrounding and leading
to it which leads to a dangerous bottle neck on a daily basis for hours. Makes zero sense.

Michael Rice, Grove City

Evolution agenda?

In the Dispatch article, "Religion not the issue in termination," justices say, I read that
"Justice Terrence O’Donnell, in his dissent, called Freshwater “a veteran science teacher singled
out by (the school district) because of his willingness to challenge students in his science
classes to think critically about evolutionary theory.” He said Freshwater should be reinstated
with back pay."

In writing his dissenting opinion, did Justice O'Donnell consider whether Freshwater included
Chinese, Hindus, Native American Indians, Egyptians, and Scandinavian evolution/creation theories?
Freshwater must have testified that he included several of these cultures evolution story/theories
for O'Donnell to think that Freshwater be reinstated with back pay.

How could the justice have concluded that Freshwater's mentioning only one creation theory
for challenging his students to think critically, as sufficient for reinstatement and back pay? A
good teacher would have introduced at least three alternative creation/evolution theories for a
truly objective critical thinking lesson.

Did Freshwater also subject his own creation/evolution theory to similar critical thinking by
the students?

Doesn't it sound as though O'Donnell and Freshwater have the same agenda?

Stanley D. Krider, Dublin

Arrogant conservatives

Once again, our conservatively controlled Ohio legislature is demonstrating its Olympic level
contortionist ability by being arrogant and ignorant at the same time. Apparently, they have
been taking lessons from the U.S. Congress. In order to pander to their base and avoid dealing with
the issues that truly affect the daily life of all Ohioans, the Stand Your Ground bill is the
latest attempt to revise, extend or amend an existing, current law that works just fine. This is
part of the reason that the Ohio Revised Code keeps getting longer and longer.

All our legislators now qualify as experts on gun law and crime since apparently they value
their own opinions more than the law enforcement professionals of all types that have voiced
opposition to all parts of this bill. If the ignorant legislators put aside their arrogance for a
moment, they bring in their own experts -- the NRA. At its inception, the NRA actually might have
been a source for valuable, balanced information about guns and their uses. But today, they are a
money churning lobbying group that never has a bad or even balanced thing to say about guns, their
ownership, their use or their value to society. I'm sure if the legislature ever debates the
sale of soft drinks in public schools, rather than consulting physicians or nutritionists, they
will get their expert opinions from the soft drink manufacturers or just substitute their own since
to be an Ohio legislator is to be an expert in all things. What could be more arrogant than that?